Prague & the Czech Republic

Best and worst sights, experiences and destinations:

Worst: Prague Castle
Why: Not at all bad but my recommendation: just go see the St. Vitus Cathedral for free and skip the other castle sites. The castle itself was a joke compared to Tower of London, Castlenaud, etc. The cathedral was wonderful though and I got to meet the Prague Castle Orchestra, prominently shown in Rick's DVD on Prague and they were a fun bunch of guys.

Shonn in HdG, MD USA 06/28/2008

Best: tour of the Municipal House. Also Baroque libraries.
Why: It is an Art Nouveau treasure, with an entire room designed by Mucha. The restoration is beautiful with incredible architectural details. Basement beer hall/restaurant is fun too. Private guide Martin Belohradsky was first rate on architecture and gardens.

Brad Oswald in Waterford, NY USA 06/28/2008

Best: Mike's Chauffeur Service
Why: We used him three times and he was there every time on time. It was great to have a ride to Lida after a night train.

Steve in Overland Park, KS USA 06/26/2008

Best: The multi-place ticket in the Jewish Quarter
Why: It was not a place that we were in a rush to visit, and not only did the book's description sound interesting and important in a historical way, but the order in which you recommending doing things was great.

Worst: Old Town Square- Clock Tower
Why: You were right to say 'don't blink, or you will miss it,' but really it didn't even deserve the two triangle designation! See it because you are here, but don't make a huge effort to be there early.

Lisa Jensen in North Palm Beach, FL USA 06/25/2008

Best: Martin Belohradský Private Tour
Why: I took my girlfriend and parents to Prague and we took a tour from Martin. It was the highlight of the trip for us. He shared enough infomation with us and saw enough that it allowed us to free up time on our schedule to see other areas of Prague because he showed us so much. He does tours part time, so it was a real treat taking a tour with somebody who does it because he has a passion for his country. His attention to detail was appreciated, and if I ever go back, I will look him up again.

John Bray in Indianapolis, IN USA 05/13/2008

Best: Private Guide, Church Concert, Pub Crawl
Why: We booked a Velvet Revolution walk with Katerina (Katka)Svobodova. Our guide Irena Horakova was fantastic! I'd highly recommend getting a private guide. We did two walking tours with Prague Walks and their guides were not nearly as good.

We really enjoyed the Prague String Orchestra concert at St. Nicholas Church (the one in Old Town Square).

The pub crawl we booked through Prague Experience was really enjoyable. The guide's English wasn't great but the bars he took us to were very interesting. The food, beer and wine were all very good!

Worst: Laterna Magika, Good Morning Walk
Why: We saw the show Rendez-vous and it was horrible. Especially considering that we paid $45 for each ticket. It was like watching a high school rhythmic gymnastics routine.

I was disappointed with the Good Morning Walk (Prague Walks). Our guide's English was really bad and she was very disorganized. For example, she was surprised to find St. Vitus closed on a Sunday morning, even though that's standard.

Karis in Brookfield, WI USA 05/04/2008

Best: Charles bridge at night
Why: Like the most romantic theme park you could imagine

Worst: Mystic Cafe
Why: Many, many hidden charges and then a 15% fee on top of those charges. Charges for sitting outside, more for a small handful of soggy potato chips, 60 crowns for beer. Bill came and was even added up wrong to boot. Three different tables were complaining. These charges are not on menu which you have to beg for. They give you a plastic page with pictures and no prices. I asked about the charges having looked at the official menu and they said you have to ask about those charges in advance.

Bob in Sequim, WA USA 05/01/2008

Best: Sarka Kacabova and her team of Guides
Why: Sarka's service was wonderful. Thanks so much to Jana, our guide, for a wonderful, relaxed and extremely knowledgeable tour of Prague. Jana's English was excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed her company and felt that the tour was the best way to start our visit to Prague. We would highly encourage anyone visiting this city to start with a personal tour from Sarka and company. We had questions about everything from Prague history, to architecture, to communism ... and there was not a question that Jana could not answer. We asked and Jana recommended several pubs and restaurants that were great. She put a very personal touch on Czech life and her perspective was thoughtful and genuine.

Sarka's company provided excellent service. The schedule was flexible and accommodating, and she even helped arrange travel to and from the airport. Altogether, we felt that it was money truly well spent. Dekuji Jana.

Jill Peterson in Monroe, CT USA 04/11/2008

Best: Little Quarter
Why: Beautiful, charming, fewest tourists. Great for walking. Beautiful art galleries along the river.

Worst: Wenceslas Square
Why: Worth visiting once, and then retreating. Too many tourists and some really awful gelato places.

Meghan Lake in Los Angeles, CA USA 01/30/2008

Best: Athos Travel
Why: They were wonderful in helping to handle the rooms and also arranged for a large van to meet us at Holosvice when we arrived. We were a group of 8 traveling together from Vienna, and everything was handled excelently by the people at Athos. Great recommendation!!

Alan & Shelley Davis in Thornton, CO USA 01/23/2008

Best: A personal travel guide with Sarka's Prague Tours
Why: We booked a personal guide through Sarka. Andrea was our wonderful guide for the next two days. She told us all we wanted to know and didn't bore us with mundane facts. She was helpful in pointing out good places to eat and places to shop. Her English was immaculate and she was able to answer all our questions.

Worst: Jewish Quarter Tour
Why: I wouldn't say this was the worst by any means, but it was 3 hours of complete information overload. We used a different guide (also recommended by Steve) for this part of the tour. I enjoyed the sights, but I can't say there is a ton of knowledge that I took from here because I became bored. I also found it very expensive. I would have liked to stay with Andrea for this part as well instead of opting for another guide.

Leslie in Mathews, Italy 11/09/2007

Best: Mike's Chauffer Service in Prague
Why: Mike provided us with a driver to take us to some small villages near the Bavarian border. Our driver was fabulous, giving us service far beyond what we had hoped.

Ruth Konda in Arvada, CO USA 11/05/2007

Best: English map we bought at the airport
Why: The map, as a whole is very good. The best part was the tram markers on all the roads. We could easily ride all over town on the trams and see all the sights from above ground.

Linda Shuler in Indialantic, FL USA 10/10/2007

Best: Souveniors-Crystalex
Why: Super selection. Good prices.

Doug Stansbury in Saint Cloud, FL USA 09/29/2007

Best: Tram 22 tour- described in the book.
Why: It takes you through the city and stops at many of the favorite destinations.

Arlene Doskocil in Riverside , CA USA 09/19/2007

Best: St. Vitus Cathedral
Why: It was great but I would recommend getting there around 15 minutes before the doors open.

Worst: Wenceslas Square
Why: A little too much like NYC for my taste, but still enjoyable.

Ian Brotman in East Brunswick, NJ USA 08/22/2007

Worst: Prague taxi drivers remain thieves
Why: Nobody will go on the meter. Fixed price only. Despite your expereinces Rick, I believe Prague taxi drivers are thieves - and as such make a wonderful city much less enjoyable to visit.

Ken Lindsay in Granger, IN USA 08/15/2007

Worst: Czech rail service
Why: First class accomodations were on a car out of the Soviet era. Dirty, no ventilation in bad weather, no food or beverage available on a SEVEN HOUR trip from Prague to Salzburg. Don't use the loo in the station-type WC.

John Barrere in Fresno, CA USA 07/15/2007

Best: Sedlec Bone Church near Kutna Hora
Why: Absolutely fascinating to see all the ancient bones displayed with artistry and reverence. Not macabre at all. To my surprise and pleasure, just saw an enormous photo of one arrangement at an enormous traveling exhibit about the human body when the show, BodyWorlds, was in Portland, Oregon.

Lee Ann Bourcier in Yachats, OR USA 06/30/2007

Best: Taxis at prague rail station
Why: when we arrived at the rail station from Budapest we were tried but aware of the the gypsy taxis. after inquiring a price to take us to our hotel near the castle. we walked away and called AAA taxi. this was one you had recommeded and come to find out our hotel did as well. as we waited for the taxi to arrive we watched other american travelers also inquiring of the taxi prices. i could not believe what they were quoting....alost 3 times the amount we paid. thank you for the tip.

robin bradley in ft lauderdale, FL USA 06/08/2007

Worst: ORANGE MOON RESTAURANT
Why: The service people were obviously prejudiced against Asians. My sister, mother in law and I were treated very rudely, ignored and they just did not want to serve us at all when we were at their restaurant on May 14, 2007 at around 7 to 8 pm that night. I strongly feel that Orange Moon should be removed from your list of restaurants. All 3 service people in charge that night were the culprits who treated us badly (1 blonde waitress and 2 of the make waiters). They saw us standing at the door way and just plain ignored us and walked on by in front of us without even acknowledging out presence that we wanted to have dinner there.

Sarah Giam in San Jose, CA USA 05/31/2007

Best: We saw all and loved the city
Why: Prague is so beautiful, but I would not go in the Summer as we experienced two crowded days around the May 1st holiday and the bridge, Jewish Quarter and Old Town Square really lost a lot of their magic with crowds and that was probably nothing like in Summer.

Linda Ostapinski in San Diego, CA USA 05/26/2007

Best: Jewish Quarter
Why: I would never normally choose to go to something like these museums but on your recommendation, I did and it was exactly as you said- worth every precious travel minute and penny!

Jennifer Wild in Scottsdale, AZ USA 05/19/2007

Best: Walks in Prague
Why: Reserved the 8:00 AM grand tour walk and were the only four people to show up. Jana, the tour guide was quite well versed in the sights we were seeing and the small group made it easy to stop and look at things that caught our interest. This was on a Sunday so we could not get into St. Vitus due to mass but the rest of the tour was superb. Early enough that there were no huge crowds, even at the Castle.

Ken

Ken Culverson in Dalton, GA USA 05/10/2007

Best: Jana Reichlova tour guide, Mike's Chauffeur Service
Why: I just got back from a trip to Prague. I used Sarka Pelantova's assistant, Jana, and she was great! She personlized the tour in Prague for us, spoke wonderful English and was very knowledgeable about the history, sights, places to eat. I would highly recommend her. I also used Mike's Chauffeur service to get to and from the airport. It was so nice to have someone waiting for you at the airport. The trip went so much smoother. I would highly recommend him as well!

Worst: being overcharged at the florenc bus station in prague
Why: Definitely check the prices of tickets. we were charged double for 4 tickets to terezin from prague.

Jennifer in Jackson, ms USA 04/22/2007

Best: Enjoyed them all but could have spent more time at the Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral.
Why: The guide book was a huge help and very user friendly. We could have easily stayed longer than five days in Prague and the Czech Republic. Food and lodging and esp. the wonderful beer are so much cheaper in Prague than in Vienna where the euro is used. Getting around is a snap on the trams and metro and we even took the train to Kunta Hora with no problem. We went during Spring Break and a few sites were not open till April and the weather could have been a bit warmer but the lack of crowds at the sites more than made up for it.

Nina in Onaga, Ks USA 04/11/2007

Best: Mikes Chauffeur Service.
Why: We used Mike to get to and from airport. He not only was prompt and courteous, but he had to make a return trip to pick up our son who was arriving on another plane. Very accomodating.

John in Westlake, Oh USA 01/05/2007

Worst: Hotel Central Prague
Why: The Hotel Central is filled with cigarette smoke--something you fail to mention in your guide books. The smoke at Hotel Central permeated our non-smoking room where even the front desk clerk smokes. While the hotel is clean, the walls are paper thin. I found Prague a beautiful city and probably a wonderful destination for someone looking for a place with a culture where smoking is permitted anywhere!

Also, there is also a much fancier Central Hotel which confused us when trying to find our hotel.

CD in Bend, OR USA 12/23/2006

Worst: Prague Castle
Why: Interesting, but was overpriced. Seems crazy that you have to pay just to shop on Golden Lane.

Alan Tipping in Keller, TX USA 12/03/2006

Best: Guest House Lida
Why: Jan and his lovely wife take the utmost care to insure all their guests have a wonderful experience in Prague. The accommodations are excellent and the personal atttention to detail is outstanding.

Jane & Phil in Dallas, TX USA 11/27/2006

Best: Strahov Monestary
Why: I loved seeing this place. Dried dodo birds and stingrays look like something Dr. Suess dreamed up.

Worst: Prague Castle in summer
Why: Go off season to the castle. If you're there in the summer you'll share the experience with thousands of your (not)best friends.

[Editor's Note: You can also try visiting Prague Castle later in the day, after many of the tour groups have moved on.]

Ken in Chandler, AZ USA 10/20/2006

Best: Castle and Jewish District
Why: Both worth the time and accurately represented as not to be missed. Once in a lifetime opportunities. Jewish section is good preparation for visiting Auschwitz. The vacancy of Jews in the current culture is palpable and sad.

Colleen Naughton in Mpls, MN USA 10/08/2006

Best: Cesky Krumlov
Why: Takes you back to medieval times in the blink of an eye. Do not go to the Czech Republic without visiting here. For convenience, use Mike's Chauffer Service if at all possible.

jerry bergstein in Indianapolis, IN USA 10/03/2006

Worst: Buses to/from Cesky Krumlov
Why: Bus both from and back to Prague were complete wrecks. AC broken and only escape hatch open for air whilst temps. of 38 degrees celcius. Also last bus to Prague at 1730 was a 'milk-run' through many small uninspiring villages

COLIN CRAVEN in OAKVILLE, ON CANADA 09/08/2006

Best: Personal Prague Guide
Why: Absolutely terrific tour guide Andrea Reznícková, driver Rudy and wonderful service by owner Sarka Pelantova. She also arranged transport to and from the airport and two evening concerts that were not in the center of the city. (I also want to mention that we used AAA taxi a few times and all drivers were honest and gave me a receipt.)

Maureen Levine in Marblehead, MA USA 07/25/2006

Best: Architecture in Prague. The many concerts available. Cesky Krumlov
Why: Small, intimate concert venues with wonderfully talented musicians. Visiting a small Czech town was a great contrast to the bustle of Prague

Worst: Travel by Czech trains
Why: Overcrowded, dirty, rusty, smelly,undermaintained, the rush for seats at transfer stations.

Robert Bell in Victoria, BC Canada 07/13/2006

Best: Prague Castle/Charles Bridge
Why: Rick mentioned in his book to go early to Prague castle as it is completely empty. GREAT advice! We went at 7:30 and no one was there. We had the place to ourselves for great pictures and it was beautiful. Charles Bridge is also beautiful in the early morning or late night on a weekday.

Worst: the crowds
Why: The weekend bring in SO many tourists and everything in the Old City is just as expensive as the rest of Europe. That part disappointed me.

Amanda Schumacher in Wauwatosa, WI USA 07/13/2006

Best: Drinks by the cafe next to Vlatava River
Why: I forget the name of the cafe but it is the one with the amazing view of Charles Bridge and PRague Castle in background. Prices (like all drinks in Prague) is cheap by Canadian standards and the view is second to none.

K Barker in Ottawa, ON Canada 07/02/2006

Best: The Mozart Concert at Villa Bertramka - Excellent!
Why: The artists were supurb!! In an intimate setting and the violinist was playing an Enroco Cerudi violin!

Mary Ann Bray in Alton, Il USA 06/24/2006

Best: Quiet Neighborhoods
Why: Get off the tourist path for awhile and follow a cobblestone street through the neighborhoods to see the daily life. Prague is a very charming city underneath all the tourism.

Worst: Prague in the summer
Why: I'm sorry, but there are way too may tourists there! It's crazy and is bound to be better in the off season. I'd love to go again but this time, it would be in October and not June!

Dawn in Minneapolis, MN USA 06/24/2006

Best: Prague in the Morning
Why: From early morning until noon you can actually appreciate the architecture and other sights in relative comfort. Most especially the Old Town area, Wencesclas Square and the Charles Bridge can be viewed without having to struggle for a space to walk, stand, or enjoy a view.

Worst: Prague in the Afternoon and Evening
Why: We were there for four days in mid-May and were frustrated by the impact of heavy tourism and the "party central" atmosphere which rules. Absolute hordes of people clogging the narrow streets rapidly remove any quaintness from the experience and when you add in lots of drunks on Wencesclas Square it gets real boring. Sounds and looks like the place has become party central for young northern Europeans through the magic of cheap airfares and relatively inexpensive prices. When I commented on this to our host he laughed and said "you should see it during the summer!".

Roger McClurg in Oregon City, OR USA 06/04/2006

Best: Old Town and Little Quarter
Why: The architectural design and history is magnificent

Marissa F. Enerio in Edison, NJ USA 06/03/2006

Best: Rick's directions in the train station
Why: I felt like a pro when we got to the train station - we walked right outside to the ATM, bought tickets from a magazine store instead of the confusing machines or the ticket window, and were on our way to the hotel while hordes of lost tourists fumbled around cluelessly behind us. The description of that train station alone made the guidebook worth its weight in gold!

Amy in Paris, France 05/26/2006

Best: Guest House Lida
Why: The Prouza brothers (Jan and Jiri) and their wives could not be more accomodating and helpful without being intrusive. The home is lovely, clean and has free internet use. My daughter and I shared the smaller double room (that was the only double available), which was "cozy" (you had to sit sideways on the toilet to avoid hitting your knees on the sink). Jiri and Jan both apologized as though it was their fault that I didn't book the room early enough. All the other rooms were quite spacious. Even though this house is away from the center of Prague it is easily accessible and on the first sunny day we walked into Old Town and did so in approx. 30 min. I would recommend this guest house to anyone going to Prague who did not require handicap access since there was not elevator access and you had to navigate a hill to get to the house.

Worst: Black Light Theatre - Aspects of Alice
Why: This was the most juvenile theatrical performance that I've seen since my children were in elementary school! I can't believe that we spent approx. $25 per ticket. It was so bad that we left at intermission (which they mercifully had). If you're used to any quality theatre avoid this one!!

Rita Berger-Morra in Phila., Pa USA 05/03/2006

Best: St. Vitus Cathedral and Prague Castle
Why: Magnificent buildings and wonderful view of the city.

Worst: Private Guide in Prague
Why: We would have been better off simply following the guidebook. The Prague guide which we originally booked was sick and sent a subsitute. Although our substitute was a "licensed guide," we eventually found out during our 5-hour walk that she was qualified only for Prague Castle area. We told her at the onset of the tour and several times while we were walking that we wanted to visit Old Town and Jewish Quarter, but she ignored us and just gave us more innane details from Prague Castle. We finally had to just stop the tour when it became evident that it wouldn't work. It was an expensive lesson from Prague (plus she stiffed us for her lunch).

Also, unless you have at 3 full days in Prague, it probably isn't worth buying the Prague Card for attraction admission. It doesn't cover the Jewish Quarter, either.

Kathy Glass in Verona, WI USA 04/29/2006

Best: Sarka Pelantova, personal Prague guide
Why: She speaks flawless English, is enthusiastic, and is knowledgeable about the history of Prague as well as sites. She is a must.

Kim Garrett in Marin, CA USA 04/04/2006

Best: Transport from Prague airport
Why: If you want a driver to pick you up at the airport & take you to your hotel, I would definitely recommend Mike, a really nice local. http://www.mike-chauffeur.cz Mike was waiting with my name on a sign when I walked out of customs, even though my flight was 1 hour late--what a relief! On the way to the hotel, I asked if he could pick me up at 0445h for my departing flight the following week. He showed up exactly as promised. In addition, he insisted that I simply pay him at the end of the 2nd leg (10 days later!). Imagine a cab driver saying: "Don't worry--you can pay me for this trip when I pick you up next week." What an honest guy!!

Brick in Seattle, WA USA 03/25/2006

Best: The city of Prague
Why: The Charles Bridge, and the street music throughout the city.

Worst: Prague bus station
Why: Dismal, dark, dank, dingy, depressing, desolate, desperate. Our bus to Cesky Krumluv never showed & nobody knew why or cared - for 3 hours they just kept saying (impatiently) "it's on its way!" When we got another bus to go down there, my wife stepped on the bus first, I followed but a tall man pushed me aside and followed her up the stairwell. I went after him and another got on right behind me, and another behind him. Then the first man stopped and turned around and the other two collided with me. Then the tall man pushe me aside and ran down the stairwell to the bus and all three ran across the parking lot into the bus station - and my wallet went with them. My passport, driver's licence, credit cards, and a couple hundred dollars, were in my Rick Steves money belt, and safe! The theives got my library card and AAA card and that was it. THEN when we arrived in Cesky Krumluv, we were told to get off the bus in a vacant field with no lights or telephones or cab service during a cold rain.

John and JoAnn Womack in Franklin, NC USA 01/21/2006